Recover
by AuntJackie
Summary: Jamie and Eddie get to go away for a mini-vacation to celebrate their new relationship but will a letter from Eddie's past ruin everything? JAMKO, continuation of my other story "Rescue" but no need to read that first!


**A/N: Another Jamko one-shot! Hope you all like! Kind of a continuation from my other Jamko story, "Rescue" but you dont have to read that one to follow this one!**

Eddie's head jerked up as a tug on her ponytail distracted her from reading the letter she held in her hands. She quickly folded it and plastered a smile on her face as she looked up into the eyes of her partner and boyrfriend, Jamie.

"Hey, lambchop."

Jamie smiled and slid into the chair across from Eddie. "What's going on, partner?" He motioned the waitress over and pointed to the cup of hot coffee that sat before Eddie untouched, requesting one for himself.

Eddie shook her head dismissively and reached for the menu. "Nothing much. Just starved. I could really go for some pancakes and bacon."

Jamie frowned and reached for Eddie's hand, pulling her attention away from the menu she viewed. "I'll get you waffles too if you tell me the truth."

Eddie laughed and shook her head once more. "I am telling you the truth, Jamie." She squeezed his hand gently and said, "Now, let's just order."

Jamie refused to let go of Eddie's hand and continued to stare at her. Her smile slowly wavered and she lowered her voice. "Jamie, while I appreciate the affection, someone can see us. We'll be out of the city in a bit and then you can grab my hand and anything else you like whenever you want but for now let go,"

With a loud sigh, Jamie released his hold on Eddie's hand and leaned back in his chair. She had a point; anyone from their precinct could see them. The diner they had chosen for breakfast was a local cop hangout and one of their favorites. That was the reason they had planned this 2 day getaway-to just get away from everyone who knew them so they could act like a couple in public for once.

"Fine," he mumbled in annoyance.

"Fine," repeated Eddie. She turned her attention back to the menu and decided to try lightening the mood. "So, what adventures do you have planned for me in the woods, Jamie Reagan?"

"Hiking, fishing, sleeping on the muddy forest floor…" replied Jamie with a smirk.

Eddie lifted her face and narrowed her eyes. "I don't do hiking, Reagan."

"Well, you're gonna," Jamie's smirk deepened. "As a matter of fact, for every minute you make me wait to tell me the truth about what's going on, I'm adding a mile."

Eddie sighed and turned away. "Whatever. Where is my breakfast?"

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, Jamie! It's beautiful out here!"<p>

Eddie's excited gasp bought a smile to Jamie's face but he remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt her moment of discovery with nature. He had known she would fall in love with this place as soon as she saw it. It was the same place he had come with his family during his childhood and the land held beautiful memories for him that he was anxious to share with Eddie. Even if it meant creating elaborate excuses to their co-workers, family and friends about their 2 day vacations and even taking both cars and then parking Eddie's in a lot outside the city, it was worth it.

Since the episode with Jake Singer made them realize their true feelings for each other, it had been a nightmare to have time alone. It seemed the only time they did have alone was when they were working together. That was the main reason they hadn't confessed their relationship to Sergeant Renzulli. The thought of having to separate was not one they wanted to entertain just yet.

"I'm glad you like it. I was even able to get the same cabin we used to get as kids. I can't believe this campground still exists,"

Eddie spun around in her seat and turned to face Jamie in the driver's seat of his mustang. "Why do you say that? Was this place the home to a masked murderer at one time or something?"

"Oh yeah," replied Jamie with a laugh as he pulled the car to a stop in front of their cabin for the next two days. "Did I forget to mention that?"

Eddie punched him playfully on his arm and rolled her eyes. She exited the car and took a deep breath of the fresh, woodsy air. "I think I could totally retire here."

"That's what you say now. Let's give it the weekend and then see." Jamie pulled their two duffel bags from the back seat and motioned Eddie forward. He pulled the keys he'd gotten from the rental office out of his pocket and pushed the door open, a smile coming across his face as memories started to come back to him.

Eddie smiled when she saw the happy look on Jamie's face. She had been so happy to be granted the same two day leave he had. It was finally going to allow them to spend some quality time together besides the sneaky visits they'd managed to each other's apartments.

She leaned in close, her lips touching Jamie's in a gentle kiss "Thank you for bringing me here, Jamie. I already love it,"

Jamie nodded and watched as she walked around the room. He dropped their bags on the floor and closed the door behind him, his own eyes moving around the room. His eyes lingered on the entryway to the kitchen.

"See this doorway? My mom used to measure us all on it with a pencil. Joe and I would always bet to see who had grown the most over the school year. We would torture mom to measure us from the first day we arrived but she always made us wait. She did it after about a week, when Joe and I had forgotten all about our silly bet and were just busy being brothers running around torturing Erin with a frog we'd found in the woods." He shook his head, a laugh escaping him. "At the end of the summer she would erase the markings so the other owners wouldn't see she'd written on the wall but I swear I could still see them there."

Eddie walked over to the doorway and ran her fingers down the surface. "She sounds amazing, Jamie. I would've loved to have met her."

"Me, too," Jamie replied. He walked over to the couch and threw himself down, kicking his sneakers off. "Come here. Let's relax for a bit before we head out for dinner."

"You're gonna catch me some fish for dinner, Reagan?" teased Eddie, lowering herself onto the couch besides Jamie. She laid her head on his chest, his arms wrapping around her back. Her eyes drifted shut as she felt him place a kiss on her forehead.

"I will if you tell me what upset you at the diner this morning."

Eddie's eyes remained closed. "Nothing upset me,"

"Eddie, you called me practically screaming with excitement only minutes before I walked into that diner. What happened to that happy girl in the span of a couple minutes? It must have been something in that letter you were reading before I walked in."

Eddie's eyes widened and she lifted her head off Jamie's chest. "What? You saw that? What are you; bionic or something? How the hell did you see that?"

Jamie laughed and shrugged. "I'm a cop. I see everything." His smile slowly faded. "Besides, you can't hide anything from me at this point, lambchop."

Eddie's face remained solemn, not even cracking a smile at Jamie's attempt at humor. "I didn't want to ruin our vacation with depressing talk about my drama."

"Your drama is important to me, Eddie. I want you to share it with me and I want to help you deal with it, if I can. You talking to me won't ruin anything. You hiding things from me will, though." Jamie raised an eyebrow and forced Eddie's head to stay up, their eyes locked together. "Talk to me."

Eddie signed and sat up, pulling her feet up and under her. "You know how when someone is up for parole they have to go before a board." She stopped and waited for Jamie's nod before continuing. "They get a chance to speak up for themselves and prove how they've learned something in prison and how they've redeemed themselves for their crime. Well, the people that person hurt also gets to have a chance to speak up. So, some of the families my dad and his scheme affected write letters to the parole board to try and stop him from being approved for an early release. This is the first year I got to read one of those letters since it's the first time in a long time I have any relationship with my father. Let's just say, that letter hit me like a ton of bricks."

"What did it say?" asked Jamie, running a hand through Eddie's long hair.

"Oh, just how my father's scheme ruined this family and now they have nothing to their name and are still living in a hostel while they try to get back the life they once knew." Eddie rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly. "It's heartbreaking, Jamie. Just when I think I can forgive my father and try to have a relationship with him, I read this. What he did was horrible and so many years later people are still reeling from it! I always hated him for what he did because he ruined my life and our family! But he ruined so many more people's lives and seeing it written down in black and white was just horrible. I feel so selfish for thinking of only myself. I mean, thankfully, my mom and I were able to manage on our own but some of the people he hurt haven't been able to do that."

"It's a horrible situation, Eddie. What your dad did hurt lots of people, including you and your mom. You have as much a right to feel the way you feel for it. Don't ever feel guilty or selfish because of your feelings." Jamie reached for Eddie and tugged her back into his embrace. "And don't let that letter stop you from developing a relationship with your dad again, Eddie. He is in prison trying to redeem himself from what he did. You can't punish him forever. If other people want to then that's on them. But you can forgive him."

"I want to. I just…" Eddie lowered her head. "Can he really change? Can he really redeem himself? Or is he gonna come out of prison and do the same thing all over again just when I've gotten used to having my dad back in my life?"

"There's no way to know that, Eddie. You have to take a chance on him. You have to decide if it's worth taking a chance first, though."

Eddie sighed and turned over slightly so she was once again resting on Jamie's chest. "I will decide but not today. I'll decide after our vacation. I don't want this to spoil our time together. That's why I didn't want to tell you anything."

Jamie laughed. "This doesn't spoil anything. Don't ever worry about that."

Eddie tilted her head up and smiled. "I won't anymore." She brushed her lips against Jamie's and felt him pull her tighter against him before deepening the kiss. Jamie licked Eddie's lips, moaning inwardly when he felt them part. He slipped his tongue inside Eddie's mouth slowly, feeling her start to kiss back. Eddie groaned and grabbed Jamie's face in her hands, pulling his face towards hers, their lips still joined, warm and soft. Jamie pressed up against her, throwing his arms around her neck and allowing their tongues to caress. His moved his hands down Eddie's body and stroked her back gently. Eddie ran her hands up, running them through Jamie's short hair, their tongues intertwined, then slid her hands down his chest to enjoy the feel of his toned muscles.

Eddie pulled away from the kiss but kept her body pressed close to Jamie's, a small smirk on her face. "That was really nice. Shall we go catch some fish now?"

Jamie groaned and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm his raging hormones. He slowly nodded, "Fish. Yeah...sure."

Eddie jumped up off the couch and stretched out her hand to Jamie. "All right, Reagan, let's go. Show me what you got!"

Jamie slowly stood and pulled Eddie in by the hand she extended. "Oh, I'll show you," he replied with a wink.

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this mushy, gushy story! Will write another in the series soon!**


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